Climber Self Rescue Course

What will you do if your ropes get stuck during a rappel? What if your partner can’t pull through the crux, several pitches up a route?

A problem as simple as dropping your belay device can turn a good day at the crag, into a long day. Our Climber Self Rescue Course is designed to teach the skills to help you and your partner deal with the unexpected during a climb. Accidents can happen in the mountains and self-sufficiency is critical to having safer outdoor adventures – particularly when professional rescue may not be able to get to you for hours or even longer during inclement weather. This course is designed to give you the baseline rescue skills and techniques that every climber should master before they enter into committing climbing terrain.

Our guides tailor their instruction to your level of experience, and their goal is to build your confidence with critical skills and techniques to safely retreat in the event of dangerous weather, or simply because a climb is taking longer than you thought and finishing isn’t an option.

You’ll train in the following skills:

Escaping a belay by securing your climbing partner to an independent anchor

Ascending ropes

Creating mechanical advantage systems using your climbing rope

Lowering a climber with a secure back-up

Improvised belaying-techniques

Which gear to ALWAYS have on your harness and how to improvise with it

Which gear NOT to use and why

Decision-making in the vertical environment

Specific techniques that you’ll learn:

Friction hitches for multiple applications

Rappel back-ups

Multi-person rappels

3:1, 5:1, and 6:1 Hauling systems

Rescue spiders and patient care

Anchor transitions

Climber self-rescue courses can be taught in any of our climbing venues, including Portland-area climbing areas like Broughton’s Bluff and Beacon Rock, as well as great Bend, Oregon crags including Smith Rock State Park and Cougar Cliff.